Silencing the Constellation (The 5th Wave)
by nosoulneeded
Summary: Everyone has wanted to know what the too-perfect Evan Walker really thought when he first encountered Cassiopeia. In this short series, we will delve into what Evan was really like before Cassie was able to tell us what he really is like. We will also explore what he did when he wasn't in Cassie's sights. Rated T for mild language and slight fluff
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He locked in her golden-red hair into view. She examined his last victims. Fresh blood, a sure sign of danger. Waiting for a moment for her to run. Waiting for an excuse to not shoot her. Inhale... Exhale... This is what he was put here to do. He came with one job and one job only. Maybe this could be made easier. Maybe he could save her. Lost in thought, the sound of his own finger pulling the trigger brought him back to earth. _Shit_, he thought. His own breath tickling his lips as it turned to icicles before his own eyes. She dropped immediately, clutching her leg._ No, no, no, no, no,_ he whispered under his breath. Not his Cassie. How could he have hurt his Cassie? She bolted underneath the nearest car and he lost sight of his target. He lowered his gun but stayed hidden. He knew she was armed. He shot her leg. She wouldn't. Loss of blood means death. Before death comes unconsciousness. He'd rescue her once she slipped into unconsciousness.

Earning her trust was imperative. His Cassie. Cassie who searches for her brother until she fails. Cassie who lost her mother to the Fourth Horseman. Cassie who promised to protect her brother. Cassie who keeps her promises. Cassie who was now bleeding out in his arms as he trudged through the snow. He stroked her hair, so familiar in its color. God, she needs a bath. _Everyone feels better __when they're clean, right?_ He would take care of her. It was his promise to himself as Cassie promised to her brother. He kicked open the front door of his home, now empty of his family forever. He looked down as the filthy, sleeping face of his damsel in distress and whispered: _Welcome home, my Cassie. We're __safe here for now._He set her weapons down by the front door.

He'd get to those later. First priority, he had a surgery to perform. To his relief, she was still breathing. He brought her into the kitchen and set her on the counter. Carefully and gently performed the surgery that likely saved Cassiopeia's life. When he finished, he gave her a bath, generously filling it with Val's favorite lilac bubble bath so he wouldn't see more than he needed to. _I don't want to do anything she'd have to question if she wakes up. No. When she wakes up._ His first physical encounter with a girl since the Awakening and she was unconscious! Not at all pleasing to him. He took the light blue sponge and gently rinsed her wounded leg. He took a shaky breath as he ran the soapy sponge up her arms and across her collarbone. Cleaning behind her neck and ears proved to be easier than the rest of her limbs. He longed to see her eyes and her bright smile. He grabbed one of Val's head. This was the easiest to get on her without having to hurt her leg or see anything that Cassie would feel embarrassed about. He took her into Val's bed. Hopefully she would wake up soon. Hopefully he could see her eyes and smile. Hopefully his amateur surgical skills didn't kill her. Hopefully. He sat back in the chair next to Val's bed and ate a handful of Hershey Kisses as he waited for night. As he waited to get back out and do his job again. Had he failed? Would there be consequences for saving this one constellation? No. He did the right thing. He had company for the first time in weeks. He was content.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Night had fallen.

Evan took one last longing glance at his constellation and bounded off to do his job. As he passed through the worn screen door, he noticed Cassie's guns sitting by the door. He snatched up the weapons and took them to the barn. Will she trust me when she wakes up? He placed the guns under a sheet in the barn, taking mental note of their location and strode into the forest to find more survivors.

Evan knew this forest well. He grew up here, playing everyday with his best friend and, eventually, his sister. He wasn't playing anymore, though. He grasped his gun, using the shadow that had taken over his brain and conscience to sense where drones had seen survivors. He heard a stick snap. He tuned around immediately, using all of his senses and previous experiences of Silencing to tell what would happen next. Smell of metal and sulfur, twig snapped about 20 feet to the left. When he turned to face the noise, he turned into a gun pointed at his head. Before looking at whatever person it may be, he pulled the trigger. A loud crack sent through the woods, the being before him slumped to the ground and released the steady grip on the gun it had. Evan took a closer look at the person. It was a woman, mid thirties, brunette. She was beautiful one but her face had already begun wrinkling. Evan tilted his head to listen for any more signs of danger. He heard the wind caressing the trees around him, leaves rustling. He sensed no warmth but his own and the diseased birds. The silence was so deafening, he could hear the worms burrowing through the earth beneath him. That was his job though, wasn't it? Silencing. The earth would be silent and empty when he was done. He wouldn't silence his Cassie, though. She's to precious to me. She's a treasure, complete with hair of gold. He chuckled at his thought. The crickets had gone silent when he shot the woman and they had begun to sing again. It was time for him to move on. I should get back. I need to find a way to give her food and water.

Evan began his trek back when he remembered the ambulance that had stopped about two miles from his home when the first wave hit. He made his way to the ambulance, mentally making a list of things he would need to save his treasure and keep her alive if she were to remain sleeping for very long. She lost a lot of blood. It could be a few days before she wakes up. When he reached the ambulance, he popped open the door (he hadn't found a locked one yet) and searched for everything on his list. He found an IV and a large first aid kit and decided that would be enough to sustain and help heal the wound. He picked up a few extra pain killers and headed back to his home where his treasure lay sleeping.

When he returned, he set his weapon by the front door and ran up the stairs with the first aid kit and the IV. He had to set one of these up on a cow once, how different could it be? He stuck the IV in what he supposed was the right place in Cassie's arm and set it up how he had seen in hospitals on TV. He worked with the light of dawn, as it shone through the window casting his shadow on the wall and bathing the room in a sensational orange. When he finished, he stood back and examined his work. He ran a hand lightly across her head, caressing her face. He wanted someone to talk to. He sat back, once again in the chair with yet another handful of Hershey Kisses and watched the sun wash over his treasure. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. He longed for something to do besides wait. He lumbered down the stairs, content with how Cassie was fairing and decided to make a loaf of bread and prepare for the day.


	3. Chapter 3

She was no longer laying on her back. He hooked up the IV bag back up and scanned her slowly. her hair had been pushed back, the blankets shifted positions. Her breathing had changed and her eyes open just enough that he saw her watching him. He sat back in the rocking chair took a shaky breath and spoke;

"I know you're watching me Cassie." Her eyes opened, he saw a spectacular color he couldn't put a name to. Her lips were cracked and dry. He immediately regretted not putting chapstick on her lips. No he thought. It was too much. Too creepy. To tempting. He had been hydrating her through the IV but… was that enough? She must need food and water. Seeing as she hasn't really been able to eat or drink for the past week.

"How do you know my name?" She asked dryly.

"Drivers license." _This is awkward. She probably knows that I cleaned her up and, well.. yeah. _He kept his head lowered slightly, embarrassed for bathing his star. "I'm Evan. Evan Walker."

"Hi." she responded delicately.

_Funny, I think we're past normal greetings, as the human race is on the brink of extinction._"Hi" They talked for a while longer. They revealed each of their family's state of living and Evan pried into whether or not Cassiopeia knew that he was the one who shot her. Her voice was raspy and sounded like she was brushing off the dust with every word after not speaking for so long. She needed to drink but, when Evan offered her water, she declined. He pried further about Wright-Patterson and if her brother had been taken there. The shadow within Evan knew all there was to know about the operation at that now not abandoned air force base, and that if Sammy was indeed there, getting him out would take extensive planning and mischief.

His star was sassy, but it relieved him to know she had enough strength to have an attitude. When Cassie began to look weak again, Evan remembered she hadn't had any actual nourishment for over a week, so he went to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of warm, venison broth. The smell reminded him of the times his mom brought the same dish to him when he was sick. The memory stirred the shadow inside him but he shook it away. The last time he climbed the stairs with venison broth was when the plague hit his sister. _I wasn't able to save her, but I will save Cassie. I have to._ He opened the door to the room and set the bowl on the nightstand next to the bed. After helping her adjust, he handed her the bowl and saw the look of suspicion on her face as she took a sip of the she finished drinking down the broth, she looked sleepy again. Evan didn't want to see the magnificent eyes of his lovely star close ever again, but he knew she needed her rest to get better.

As he got up to take the dish back to the kitchen, a worried look crept up Cassie's face. "Did you have to-"

_Oh, crap. Too much pain medication. "_No! No, it just grazed some muscle tissue. It'll take some time to recover but I stitched it up and cleaned it before it could get infected."

"Oh." Her eyes drooped as she sighed with relief. Evan continued out the door, this time without interruption. As he washed the bowl, he wondered what he could do to make her more comfortable there. _Mom always said the way to a girl's heart is chocolate. I think there's still some chocolate stashed in mom's closet. _Evan walked quietly up the stairs to his parent's room. The room was dusty. Evan hadn't been in there since he lost his sister. He ran a hand along the dresser to pick up some of the dust and wiped his hand on his pants. When he reached the closet, he felt sneaky and guilty; as if he were going for an early peek at Christmas presents. He pulled the door open and shifted some jackets to the side and sure enough, four bags of Hershey Kisses were sitting on a shelf. He grabbed all four and went to the kitchen to store them in the pantry. After putting them away, He opened the first bag and grabbed a handful. He tiptoed back into Cassie's room and placed a single Kiss on her nightstand. He unhooked the IV and decided to let Cassie rest until she awoke again. In the meantime, he had some cleaning to do in his parents' room.


End file.
